After 7 years, Linkin Park has announced a new album, “From Zero” which will be released on 11/15. Drummer Colin Brittain and new vocalist Emily Armstrong (Dead Sara) have also joined the band, a huge change to the band since the passing of first vocalist Chester Bennington. The band have posted clips of their past songs being sung by Emily on their twitter.
Okay, I think the new single is wonderful. I enjoy it. The live show they posted on their Youtube channel is not it though…
It sounds like she is trying to sound to much like chester since they are all just playing their original songs. I really enjoy the new single aloottt though
Emily took a few songs to really warm up, and that’s fine. It’s her FIRST show with the band, I imagine she was nervous as all hell going out on that stage. Chester’s shoes are a big challenge to fill. We also have to remember, even Chester struggled live. Mike has even talked about how in the later years of Chester’s life, his nerves would get to him really hard and he would tense up and struggle REALLY hard with a lot of the more extended melodies. Go listen to those ‘…Live from Around the World’ releases, you can hear some pretty ragged takes.
And, honestly, nobody can replace Chester. Aside from those melodies being written for his range, his voice was unique. That aside, Emily is who the band chose to bring into the family, and help them bring these old songs back to a stage again, and to help them move forward. For that, she has my respect and my gratitude.
She sounded great on What I’ve Done, her screams on One Step Closer had me cheering at my computer, and the new single that’s written with HER voice in mind? She KILLS it on that, imo.
They should of disbanded and leave the message of “it’s not Linkin Park without him” and then annouce themselfs a brand new band that way there fan base doesn’t have to be divided into two sides everyone would have been like “good move, dont like there new band moving on~”
I think they want to keep their songs and brand, it’s what’s going to bring people in for lives and it’s their songs, not just Chester’s. While I agree with the sentiment of renaming and really starting from actual zero that makes reuniting needlessly harder for them.
I can’t form a quality opinion on the comeback yet but I could not shake the feeling I was listening to a band that sounded like linkin park that got a collab with Shinoda. But I don’t dislike that if the quality is there.
About the old songs I don’t think it’s even worth it to have an opinion on, we all listened to those songs too many times to be flexible on this change. We all know how it’s supposed to sound and changing that is going to cause friction even if it’s good. I don’t think it’s worth exploring because it’s going to take a lot of time until the dust settles and even then I think most people won’t be able to come to terms with the sound.
On a human level I’m glad the band found the passion to take a step forward and move on bravely. I really look forward to the album shaping this new era. It’ll be tough for them though.
I could have cared less if that would have been some indie bandy but that is Linkin Park, a huge ass and incredible influential band… And you take a Scientology member as a new vocalist??
Like come on
I had no clue she featured on hole’s album… that’s kinda the level I respect more than LP fronting
if she joined/grew up in church of xenu she is p much only hurting herself at this point tbh
give it five years for her to drop a memoir that would start with “can u like imagine linkin stans are WORSE than scientology nutters? k sit down I’ll spill all the tea and my assistant will get the receipts.”
ps: that gala was in 2013 and sis had enough time to make better choices.
The thing is though, Chester was the last addition to the classic lineup. It was really Mike’s baby from the beginning, and behind the scenes most of the production and business aspects were always handled by him and Brad. I don’t think Chester would’ve wanted to force them to drop the name just because he’s gone.
And as for the fanbase splitting… that’s just been the case ever since Minutes to Midnight came out. Then again with A Thousand Suns. And Living Things. And The Hunting Party. Then with One More Light which had SUCH a negative reception, many believe that was part of what drove Chester over the edge, given how shortly after the record’s release he passed.
The fanbase has always been divided. Whether or not they changed the name going forward wouldn’t have changed that.
As to the Scientology stuff - my understanding is that she was born into the Church. If she’s left it, there would be very little way for her to publicly speak about it, since SEA Org has a section devoted to investigating anybody who leaves the Church and speaks ill of them, and then ruining the lives of those people.
Chester himself was a CSA victim from the age of seven. Beyond that, the band has put mental health at the forefront of their messaging for years. With that in mind, I find it incredibly difficult to believe that Mike and the boys wouldn’t have very carefully vetted her. Until more comes out, I have to believe that she’s not a member of the Church anymore and doesn’t follow those beliefs, and no longer defends Masterson
